Djukic-Dejanovic: SRS You’ve Been Bad Boys and Girls

Sometimes there’s nothing you can do in this country but laugh and understand that the ever-present charade is part of the charm.

In today’s session of parliament, members of the radical party showed up wearing t-shirts boasting the face of Vojislav Seselj, who has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by The Hague Tribunal and is also the president of their party. When the radicals refused to take their “assigned” seats, president of parliament, Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic, “lead them away” from the session and called a 15-minute break. Afterwords, she decided that the session just could not go on in such a manner and called the whole thing off.

While MPs in other countries at least pretend to be doing something meaningful while in session, Serbia’s MPs have decided that it’s just plain passe to pretend and have moved on to entertaining us as a circus should. It’s becoming ever more evident that public discourse isn’t concerned with political matters but which politician said what about another, and when that is the case, the honorable gentle men and women don’t attack each other’s politics, but go straight for below-the-belt insults. Moreover, today’s event is not the first or last of it’s kind, but only the latest proof that Serbia is nowhere near it’s path to the EU, but it hasn’t even started to pack it’s bags for the trip.

After all of that, I ask you, so what?

Yes, it is entirely depressing that the youth of this country is being held back by radicals in parliament and others in power who refuse to pass the laws necessary to get the country on the “white Schengen list”, among other things. It’s ridiculous that they have to stand in line like livestock to get a visa because this country’s image in the world has been entirely ruined by the previous generation, and even if they get one, after hours and days of being degraded by pretentious embassy workers, they wouldn’t have the money to go anywhere anyway because the country’s economy is stagnating. So, the country’s young people are stuck with no prospects, finishing university on an average of ten years, not working and living with their parents until they’re well into their 30s and probably in the same room as their siblings.

But, I wonder, if or when Serbia finally decides to become “civilized” and organized, hands over accused war criminals to The Hague, will it become just like every other European country? Will it lose the charm that draws and infatuates those who’ve lived in the West and come here to live and leave it all behind? Will that be a good thing?

But, those things aside, we are being well entertained, wouldn’t you say?

In translation: She would you know what with him, but he’s got no money for a hotel and wants to in his Yugo. Tough though because she likes luxury and “expensive” things. However, if he had a BMW, it’d be an entirely different story.

Vanja Petrovic was one of the youngest editors in the Balkans. Currently, she is aspiring to reach the heights of bumhood. This blog seeks to provide an insight into the day to day life of Serbs and other Gods who inhabit this now-peaceful land. Live long and conquer.